Inner spring structure having one or more yieldable corners



Oct. 2, 1962 J. R. STECKART 3,056,146

UCTURE HAVING ONE OR MORE YIELDABLE CORNERS INNER SPRING STR Filed June 9, 1959 WUUUUV I I N QUNHN MMMUVHT 7 INVENTOR. I

OHN E firecz/zer 60M, AMY

A TTOE/VfYf United States Patent Ofifice 3,056,146 Patented Oct. 2, 1962 3,056,146 INNER SPRING STRUCTURE HAVING ONE OR MORE YIELDABLE CORNERS John R. Steckart, 116 /2 N. Broadway, De Pere, Wis. Filed June 9, 1959, Ser. No. 819,126 7 Claims. (Cl. -351) This invention relates to an inner spring structure having a yieldable corner.

It is quite difiicult to make up a bed having an inner spring mattress over which a contour sheet must be stretched. Ordinarily the housewife has to lift the corners of the mattress and attempt to flex an entire quarter section of the mattress to provide enough slack in the otherwise quite rigid inner spring structure to permit the corner of the contour sheet to be stretched over the mattress corner. After the sheet envelopes the mattress corner, it is dropped in the course of which the mattress fills out the sheet. The manual effort required for this process has militated against the sale of contour sheets, notwithstanding their other advantages.

In mattresses fabricated according to the present invention, the otherwise relatively rigid inner spring frame at the corners of the mattress is relieved and replaced by a resiliently yieldable filler which readily yields under pressure during the application of the contour sheet to the mattress. Thus the sheet is easily applied to the mattress because the corners yield to provide the slack necessary to stretch the contour sheet therearound. As soon as the pressure is relieved, the filler resiliently expands to neatly fill out the corner.

Accordingly, it is a relatively simple matter to make up a bed having a mattress embodying the present invention and the strength, rigidity and quality of the mattress is in no way impaired.

Other features, advantages and objects of the invention will appear from the following disclosure in which:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary plan view of one corner of a mattress embodying the present invention showing the corner depressed.

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary horizontal cross section taken through one embodiment of the present invention and approximately along the line 22 of FIG. 3.

FIG. 3 is a vertical cross section taken through one embodiment of the present invention and approximately along the line 3-3 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary horizontal cross section similar to FIG. 2 but of a different embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a foam rubber filler adapted for incorporation in the inner spring mattress as shown in FIG. 4.

A conventional inner spring mattress includes on its top and bottom surfaces the spaced fabric covering sheets 10, 11 between which intervenes filler material such as quilted pad 12. The sides of the mattress are similarly provided with spaced fabric plies 13, 14 between which there is a filler pad 15. These plies are brought together at the corners of the mattress and are sewn together through a binding tape 16 which covers the raw edges of the sheets 10, 11, 13 and 14 to form a welt 17.

Within the mattress there is an inner spring structure including an inner spring frame having otherwise continuous interconnected side and end rods 18 and a series of coil springs 19 and interconnecting springs 22. In conventional mattresses the rods 18 ordinarily extend continuously completely around the corners of the mattress to constitute the rigid corner aforesaid which makes it difiicult to apply the contour sheet thereover.

According to the present invention the rods 18 are relieved in the corner portions of the mattress and instead of extending to the corner, the rods are interconnected by diagonal or oblique portions 23 spaced substantially inwardly of the corner 21. The intersection of the rectilinear portions 18 of the rods and the diagonal portions 23 may desirably be about 10 to 12 inches from the corner 21 of the mattress. The coil spring which ordinarily is disposed at the corner of the mattress is eliminated in favor of a yieldable filler.

In the embodiment of the invention shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, the filler may consist of a cotton pad 24 which is spirally wound and which has an axial extent substantially filling the space between the fabric plies 11. The pad 24 is resiliently and yieldably supported for inward movement by coil spring 25 which has one end coil in abutment with the pad 24 and the opposite end coil fastened to selected coils of coil springs 19. Accordingly, the corner of the mattress is free to yield resiliently inwardly as is illustrated in FIG. 1 in which the spring 25 has been compressed to provide slack in the mattress to facilitate encasing a contour sheet overthe mattress.

In FIGS. 4 and 5 another embodiment of the inven tion is illustrated in which the rods 18 are simply cut off at their end portions 26 about 10 to 12 inches from the corner 21 of the mattress. Over these exposed rod ends 26 are engaged the tubular end portions 27 of diagonal frame members 28 to which a backing web 29 is connected. The backing web 29 supports a block 32 of foam rubber or like yieldable resilient filler material which functions in substantially the same way as. the combination pad 24 and spring 25 of the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 through 3.

In both disclosed embodiments the inner spring frame is just as strong as it was prior to the modification, but the corners of the mattress are now yieldable to facilitate application thereto of contour sheets.

I claim:

1. An innerspring structure adapted to be encased by a contour covering, said structure having side and end portions including relatively rigid members forming an unyielding frame for said innersprings, said members being relieved at least at one corner of the structure, said structure having innersprings except at any relieved corner, and a resiliently yieldable filler in any such corner substantially in place of any omitted corner innerspring and which will yield under pressure during the course of encasing the structure with a contour covering and will resiliently project to fill the corresponding corner of the covering after the covering is in place.

2. The device of claim 1 in which said structure further comprises a fabric covering enclosing said frame, said yieldable filler comprising a pad in any such corner and within said covering, and a spring abutting said pad, but yieldable inwardly as pressure is placed on said pad.

3. The device of claim 1 in which said structure is provided with a fabric covering enclosing said frame, said yieldable filler comprising a pad of foam rubber in said any such corner and enclosed by said covering.

4. The device of claim 3 in which said rigid frame forming members comprise rods which terminate short of the corner, anda backing frame for said foam rubber pad and comprising tubular members which engage over the exposed ends of said rods and a backing Web spanning between said tubular members for the support of said pad.

5. An inner spring structure adapted to be encased by a contour covering, said structure comprising an unyielding inner spring frame and a fabric covering, said frame including side and end rods, said rods being connected on a diagonal at at least one corner of the structure, said structure having innersprings except at any relieved corner, and a resiliently yieldable filler in any such 4 corner outwardly beyond said diagonal rods and adapted References Cited in the file of this patent to yield under pressure in the course of encasing the mattress with a contour covering and to rigidly project to UNITED STATES PATENTS till alilcorrespolzidilrig ctorner of the covering after the cover- 6 2,398,237 Marsack Apt 9, 1946 mg as encase e s rue ure.

6. The device of claim 5 in which the yieldable filler 2327330 Kosmgsberg 1960 comprises a pad and a spring normally biasing said pad FOREIGN PATENTS against the fabric at such corner.

7. The device of claim 5 in which the yieldable filler 343,410 Great Brltam 19, 1931 comprises a block of foam rubber substantially filling 10 703,026 Germany 27, 1941 h comer, 639,765 Great Britain July 5, 1950 

